This invention relates to a textile material and, in particular, to a nonabsorbable surgical mesh of warp knit construction fabricated from a polypropylene multifilament yarn.
Knitted and woven fabrics constructed from a variety of synthetic fibers and the use of the fabrics in surgical repair are known from, among others, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,054,406; 3,124,136; 4,193,137; 4,347,847; 4,452,245; 4,520,821; 4,633,873; 4,652,264; 4,655,221,; 4,838,884; 5,002,551; and, European Patent Application No. 334,046.
Hernia repairs are among the more common surgical operations which employ a mesh fabric prothesis. A mesh constructed from polypropylene monofilament, while it induces a good fibroblastic response ensuring its prompt fixation and integration with tissue at the surgical repair site, is considered to be too stiff for some types of hernioplasties, e.g., giant prosthetic reinforcement of the visceral sac (GPRVS). While a warp knitted surgical mesh constructed from a nonabsorbable polyester multifilament yarn (e.g., Mersilene of Ethicon, Inc.) has been indicated to be a particularly desirable prosthesis for a GPRVS procedure due to its suppleness and elasticity (Wantz, "Atlas of Hernia Surgery", Raven Press, 1991, p. 102), were it not for the aforementioned stiffness associated with a polypropylene monofilament mesh, the later would likely be the material of choice due to its greater strength and chemical inertness.